The Open University of Sri Lanka is a national university in Sri Lanka. It is unique within the Sri Lankan national university system for being the only university to offer programs of study leading to certificate, diploma, degrees and postgraduate degrees up to PhD level through the Open and Distance Mode of Learning (ODL). The degrees awarded by the university are treated as equivalent to degrees awarded by any other Sri Lankan University under the preview of the University Grants Commission.
Athabasca University (AU) is a Canadian public university that primarily operates through online distance education. Founded in 1970, it is one of four comprehensive academic and research universities in Alberta, and was the first Canadian university to specialize in distance education.
Higher education in Mauritius includes colleges, universities and other technical institutions. Public university education has been free to students since 2019. The sector is managed by the Higher Education Commission (HEC) which has the responsibility for allocating public funds, and fostering, planning and coordinating the development of post-secondary education and training. Formerly the Tertiary Education Commission, in 2020 it was reformed into the HEC and a separate Quality Assurance Authority (QAA) for auditing of qualifications.
Panjab University (PU) is an Indian collegiate public state university located in Chandigarh. Funded through both State and Union governments, it is considered a state university. It traces its origins to the University of the Punjab in Lahore, which was founded in 1882. After the partition of India, the university was established on 1 October 1947, and called East Punjab University. Initially housed primarily at a cantonment in Solan, it later relocated to a newly built campus in Chandigarh, and was renamed Panjab University. It is accredited by NAAC at five star level, with the highest NAAC A++ accreditation grade.
Allama Iqbal Open University is a public university in Islamabad, Pakistan. It is named after Allama Muhammad Iqbal, the country's national poet. It is the world's fifth largest institution of higher learning in terms of enrolment, with an annual enrollment of 1,121,038 students, the majority are women and course enrollment of 3,305,948 (2011). Students can gain admission in Matriculation, Intermediate, Bachelor, Master, MPhil and Ph.D. programmes at the university.
The University of Dar es Salaam (UDSM) is a public university located in Ubungo District, Dar es Salaam Region, Tanzania. It was established in 1961 as an affiliate college of the University of London. The university became an affiliate of the University of East Africa (UEA) in 1963, shortly after Tanzania gained its independence from the United Kingdom. In 1970, UEA split into three independent universities: Makerere University in Uganda, the University of Nairobi in Kenya, and the University of Dar es Salaam in Tanzania.
The University of Nairobi is a collegiate research university based in Nairobi and is the largest university in Kenya. Although its history as an educational institution dates back to 1956, it did not become an independent university until 1970. During that year, the University of East Africa was split into three independent universities: the Makerere University in Uganda, the University of Dar es Salaam in Tanzania, and the University of Nairobi in Kenya.
The University of the Philippines Open University(UPOU) is a public research university and is the fifth constituent university of the University of the Philippines System. The majority of UPOU students are based in the Philippines but all of its programs can be taken anywhere in the world. While primarily a virtual university, it has a physical campus that houses admin and faculty offices in Los Baños, Laguna, with Mega Learning Hubs (MLH) in Manila and Cebu.
Egerton University is a public university in Kenya. It is the oldest institution of higher education in Kenya.
Devi Ahilya Vishwavidyalaya, formerly University of Indore, is a state university located in Indore, India. It was named after Ahilya Bai Holkar, the 18th century Queen and ruler of Indore, daughter in law of Malhar Rao Holkar who was the founder of Holkar Dynasty.
Indira Gandhi National Open University, known as IGNOU, is a public open & distance learning university located in Delhi, India. Named after the former Prime Minister of India, Indira Gandhi, the university was established in 1985 with a budget of ₹20 million, after the Parliament of India passed the Indira Gandhi National Open University Act, 1985. IGNOU, operated by the central government of India, is the world's largest university, boasting an active enrollment of 3,093,583 students. It provides 333 academic programs through its 21 Schools of Studies, supported by a network of 67 Regional Centres and 2,257 Learner Support Centres (LSCs).
The University for Development Studies, Tamale was established in 1992 as a multi-campus institution. It is the fifth public university to be established in Ghana. This deviates from the usual practice of having universities with central campuses and administrations. It was created with the four northern regions of the country in mind. These are the Brong Ahafo Region, Northern Region, Upper East Region and the Upper West Region.
Mzuzu University is one of the principal universities of Malawi. The university is located in Luwinga, Mzuzu City, in the northern region of Malawi. It was founded in 1997 after being transformed from a teachers training college established in 1970s. It accepted its first students in 1999. At the time the university opened its doors, the Chancellor was Malawi's former president Bakili Muluzi and the first Vice-Chancellor was Professor Terrence Davis. Professor Peter Mwanza, who later entered politics and became a cabinet minister, was active in establishing the university. He was Chairman of the University Council, and later Vice-Chancellor.
University of Kashmir (UoK), informally known as Kashmir University (KU), is a collegiate public state university located in the Hazratbal neighbourhood, on the western side of Dal Lake in the city of Srinagar, in Jammu and Kashmir, India, which was established in 1948.
Zimbabwe Open University (ZOU) is an open distance education university in Zimbabwe. Established in 1999, ZOU is the only distance education university in the country that offers a unique opportunity for students to earn as they learn. Student enrollment at ZOU has been growing steadily from the time of its formation and in terms of enrollment it is the largest university in Zimbabwe. The Zimbabwe Open University has seven faculties under which the academic programmes are conducted. ZOU is in the process of building it’s flagship campus at Hatcliffe. The university is also offering new programs to cater to the dynamic needs of students from across Zimbabwe and beyond. In 2024, ZOU celebrated 25 years of unlocking human capital potential through open and distance learning.
The Copperbelt University is a public university in Kitwe, Zambia. It is the second largest public university in Zambia. The language of instruction at the university is English.
Ardhi University also known as ARU is a public university located in Makongo in Kinondoni District of Dar es Salaam Region, Tanzania. It was established 28 March 2007, though it has been offering training for more than 60 years in different status. It is situated on Observation Hill close to University of Dar es Salaam, in which it was a constituent college from 1996 to 2007, when it was known as University College of Lands and Architectural Studies—UCLAS. Prior being part of University of Dar es Salaam, Ardhi University was known as Ardhi Institute with history extending to mid-1950s.
Mzumbe University is a public university in Mzumbe, Tanzania, near Morogoro. It was established in 2001.
The University of Colombo currently has seven faculties with 41 academic departments and two interdependent schools with five academic departments. All faculties and schools carries out courses of study and research in both graduate and undergraduate studies. In addition, the university has several institutions that specialize in different areas of research.
Tolly Salvatory Augustine Mbwette was a Tanzanian academic, engineer and educator. He held various positions in national and international institutions of higher learning over his lifetime, including that of vice chancellor of the Open University of Tanzania. He was a team leader for various multi-disciplinary research teams responsible for both drinking and wastewater treatment systems that rely on bio-systems.
